1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium such as an ink jet recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink jet recording medium is required to have high color developability and surface gloss as well as excellent appearance and storability. In addition, the recording medium is also strongly required to have excellent ink absorbency with increasing printing speed due to recent improvement in performances of printers. In order to meet such requirements, various improvements in the structure and properties of a recording medium have been vigorously attempted.
In order to achieve both ink absorbency and surface gloss at the same time, it is known to provide a layer of fine silica particles on an ink receiving layer by a coating method without applying a pressure which reduces voids of the ink receiving layer (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H07-76162). In order to achieve higher surface gloss, it is also known to provide a layer containing a resin as a main component on an ink receiving layer (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-108503).
From the viewpoint of ink absorbency which enables higher printing speed, such an inorganic pigment as finer silica particles and alumina hydrate particles which are bound by a polymer binder such as polyvinyl alcohol has come to be used in an ink receiving layer of an ink jet recording medium. Among the inorganic pigments, fine particles of alumina hydrate can form a receiving layer with a less amount of a binder, and so the receiving layer is excellent in ink absorbency.